The present invention relates to the field of Internet Protocol (IP) networks, and more particularly to the transport of delay sensitive traffic over IP networks.
A global network infrastructure for voice services, using a circuit-switching methodology, is supported by Public Switched Telephone and Private Branch Exchange networks. These networks utilize signaling to establish call connections and routing maps at network switches. The ability to signal during call connection set-up provides individual switches with the capability to reject call connection requests when that individual switch does not have the available bandwidth to support a new call connection. Since any switch in a connection path may reject a new call connection request based on available bandwidth limitations, switched voice networks are able to provide guaranteed Quality of Service to established connections. Quality of Service in switched voice networks is guaranteed because the governing precept is that it is preferable to block new call connection attempts rather than allow a new connected call to degrade the performance of established connected calls.
Explosive growth in Internet Protocol (IP) based Intranets and public Internet has generated a large network infrastructure of IP based routers. Recently, this large IP network infrastructure has begun to be utilized as a vehicle for real-time transmission of voice over the Internet, also known as Internet telephony. Each year, Internet telephony captures a greater share of the telephony market. However, unlike the case of switched voice service networks, routers contained within IP networks are not signaled. Since signaling between source, destination, and intermediate routers is not provided within IP networks, new calls can not be rejected at the IP routers, even if the routers are burdened beyond their respective bandwidth capacities. Therefore, real-time transmission over the Internet is subject to levels of delay and jitter not associated with Public Switched Telephone Networks and Private Branch Exchanges. Rather, transmission over the Internet and other IP networks is accomplished via a best effort transmission mode. Consequently, telephony over IP networks does not currently provide a Quality of Service guarantee for voice and other delay sensitive transmissions.
A quality of service guarantee for voice and other delay sensitive transmissions within an Internet Protocol (IP) network is provided by identifying the IP network path utilized for IP packet transmission between source and destination edge devices and virtually provisioning IP network path bandwidth for priority voice traffic. Priority for voice packets and admission control of new voice calls (and other delay sensitive traffic) based on the remaining available capacity over the IP network path guarantees that high priority voice (and other delay sensitive traffic) meet stringent delay requirements. A Virtual Provisioning Server is utilized to maintain bandwidth capacity data for each path segment within the IP network and to forward the bandwidth capacity data to a Signaling Gateway. The Signaling Gateway determines whether to accept or reject an additional delay sensitive traffic component based upon available bandwidth capacity for an IP network path. The Signaling Gateway then signals the originating source edge device as to its determination to accept or reject. Quality of Service guarantees concerning acceptable delay and jitter characteristics for real-time transmission over an IP network are therefore provided without the need to directly signal the individual IP routers over which an IP network path is established.